Semantic Asymmetry of English Loanwords in Chinese: A Literature Review
Main Article Content
Keywords
English loanwords, semantic asymmetry, semantic scope shift, grammatical function shift, language contact
Abstract
Against the background of globalization and increasingly frequent language contact, a large number of English loanwords have entered Chinese, becoming an important force promoting the development of Chinese vocabulary. However, these loanwords are not transplanted intact in the process of borrowing, and there is often a complex asymmetry between their semantics and the original words. The purpose of this paper is to systematically sort out the semantic asymmetry of English loanwords in Chinese. Through a literature review, this paper summarizes its types from the two dimensions of semantic scope and grammatical function shift, and explores its motivations. It is found that, in terms of semantic scope, the semantic asymmetry of English loanwords is mainly manifested in three types: semantic broadening, semantic narrowing, and semantic shift. In terms of grammatical function shift, it is reflected in the asymmetry between part-of-speech change and word-formation change. These phenomena are shaped by two major factors: internal linguistic factors and external sociocultural factors. The former involves differences between Chinese and English phonological structures and word-formation rules, while the latter covers psychological motivations such as novelty, linguistic economy, and aesthetic pursuit. On this basis, this paper points out the shortcomings of the existing research and puts forward suggestions for future research directions in order to provide a reference for the study of language contact and vocabulary evolution.
References
- [1] Ma, Q. (2009). The cultural connotation and translation principles of English loanwords in the target language. Journal of Xi’an University of Arts and Science, (1), 69–74.
- [2] Kay, G. (1995). English loanwords in Japanese. World Englishes, 14(1), 67–76.
- [3] Zhou, L. (2018). Cultural factors and translation of English loanwords in contemporary Chinese. Language Forum, (17).
- [4] He, Y. (2009). An investigation and analysis of the phenomenon of Sinicization of English loanwords. Language Exploration, (11).
- [5] Liu, S. (2022). A brief analysis of the translation methods of loanwords in newspaper English. Overseas English, (2), 36–38.
- [6] Chen, K. (2016). The characteristics and changes of English loanwords in Cantonese dialect. Journal of Language and Literature Studies, (11), 50–53.
- [7] Hall-Lew, L. A. (2002). English loanwords in Mandarin Chinese (Unpublished master’s thesis). The University of Arizona.
- [8] Liu, J. (2016). Translation of English loanwords in Chinese from a cultural perspective. Journal of Hubei Correspondence University, (7), 157–158.
- [9] Zhao, L. (2021). Features and trends of English loanwords in modern Chinese. Teaching of Forestry Region, (9), 79–81.
- [10] Yang, X. (1957). Modern Chinese. Chongqing People’s Publishing House.
- [11] Ou, W. (2022). An analysis of English loanwords in Chinese from an ecolinguistic perspective. Overseas English, (8), 41–42.
- [12] Tang, C. (2019). A study of German native words and English loanwords from the perspective of semantics. University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, (5), 224–225.
- [13] Huang, Y., & Mao, Z. (2023). An analysis of semantic asymmetry of English loanwords in Cantonese. Language Writing and Research, (20), 102–104.
- [14] Routledge Shi, Y. (2021). Loanwords in the Chinese language. Routledge.
- [15] Oxford University Press Geeraerts, D. (1997). Diachronic prototype semantics: A contribution to historical lexicology. Oxford University Press.
- [16] Stanford University Press Haugen, E. (1972). The ecology of language. Stanford University Press.
- [17] Jing, H. (2013). Morphemic variability in Chinese and English: A perspective from English loanwords. China Academic Journal Electronic Publishing House.
- [18] Mo, R., & Xiao, H.-Z. (2024). Ecolinguistic dynamics of English loanwords in Chinese: A case study on terms for cement. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03860-2
- [19] Haspelmath, M., & Tadmor, U. (2009). Loanwords in the world’s languages. De Gruyter Mouton. Loanwords in the World's Languages Database
- [20] Weinreich, U. (1953). Languages in contact: Findings and problems. Linguistic Circle of New York.
- [21] Fu, Z. (2006). The borrowing of loanwords—The semantic differences between the loanwords and the original words. Zhejiang University, (6).
- [22] Xu, Y. (2006). English loanwords in contemporary Chinese and the perspective of national cultural psychology. Journal of Hubei Institute for Nationalities, (6), 89–94.
Article Sidebar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.